Here are some video observations of one little boy during song time in the baby room. He seems to listen with his whole body in this first clip. You can see through his use of gesture that he understands the song and what is coming next each time. These clips demonstrate that a child does not have to be singing a word to show us they are engaged with a song, it is often the gesture and body language that comes first. Careful observation is a big part of our work on the Tuneful Tots projects. I was not even in the building on the day these video clips were taken, which makes them even more valuable!

One boy’s response to Twinkle, twinkle, little star

One boy’s response to Miss Polly had a dolly

Watch out for how precisely he writes on the ‘paper for a pill’ using his finger, he knows exactly when this is coming in the song. Amazing!

One boy’s response to Incy wincy spider

This clip starts after the group have sung this together once and are clapping. You will see that before the adults start the singing again, the little boy is having a go himself, shaking his hands and singing. What a star!

What do you think of these clips? What do you notice? They are posted here to get you thinking about music in the early years and what younger children are capable of and how we can best support them as music leaders and educators.